Surfing the urge

Emotions can build up to a crescendo that can swamp and drown us – but there’s hope within that tidal wave

The Urge to self-injure builds up over a period of time, short or long.

It builds up and up and crashes upon us, Urging us to seek relief.

Like any ‘wave’ of emotion, the Urge also has a peak time, and then it declines. You know this to be true – think about any emotion you experience.

I’m wondering if it’s useful to think of the Urge as a wave, and acknowledge that it will diminish, just as it built up.

Surfing that wave, waiting it out, observing it splash over and through us could be a useful visualisation, or meditation for when the Urge is upon us.

Next time you experience the Urge, observe it build, clear time and space for yourself to deal with it, and wait it out, noticing how it reaches the peak, and then experiencing it diminish and fade away.